Not having a fantastic time at university? You are not the only one.
A student named Robert passed the majority of his freshers' week browsing through social media, viewing updates about peers enjoying evenings out.
"I stayed indoors," Robert remembers, describing the week as the most solitary phase of his life.
The people he lived with didn't go out much, and his program didn't seem particularly social.
Despite putting himself out there by participating in sample activities for multiple organizations, he didn't discover his people.
"I began losing my self-assurance," he says. "I felt like others weren't interested to form friendships with me, or they weren't fond of me."
Digital Platform Contrasts
Initially, Robert had no intention of attending college and had a job offer for following college.
However he saw his friends living it up as students on Instagram.
"When you've got to get up for your job during the week at the morning hour and you see someone's been out on midweek, you start feeling the grass is greener," Robert explains.
College Anticipations
Media content and online platforms can romanticize the concept of college existence.
Numerous students begin university with great anticipations for what they imagine could be the greatest period of their lives.
Some students arrive at college with "optimistic perspectives," explains a counselling manager.
Research Results
- Through surveys of freshers in their first week, the primary worry was belonging and feeling included
- In another survey through polling organizations, a significant minority said they had no friends at university
- 37% said they felt anxious regularly about building relationships
Personal Experiences
A different attendee's TikTok feed was populated with clips of peers socializing while cohabitating in student houses.
Yet when Alisha moved from her previous location to campus to study journalism, she found orientation period "intense" because of the drinking culture it involved.
She abstains from alcohol and had not experienced nightlife before.
"I did spend much of orientation inside my accommodation," she says. "I merely sensed somewhat isolated."
Psychological Aspects
In a 2025 survey of numerous college learners, a significant portion mentioned they had considered withdrawing from studies.
The primary factor was emotional state, followed by economic considerations.
"Anxiety about these multiple factors is very widespread, and typical," notes a counselling expert.
Discovering Answers
With time, the students gradually adjusted and developed friendships.
Alisha made friends via her studies and through TikTok, while the individual experienced improvement when she could to relocate with companions.
Helpful Recommendations
For Robert, presently older and in his final year, it was participating in theater activities and getting a part-time job that supported social connection.
Robert's advice to new attendees struggling to socialize is to just "get out of your room" and participate in group trial sessions.
"After a few weeks of regular attendance, people recognise your face," Robert says, "you become familiar with them, and friendships begin forming."
